LSAT 148 – Section 3 – Question 04

LSAT 148 - Section 3 - Question 04

December 2016

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Question
QuickView		 Type Tags Answer
Choices		 Curve Question
Difficulty		 Psg/Game/S
Difficulty		 Explanation
PT148 S3 Q04
+LR
+Exp
Main conclusion or main point +MC
Causal Reasoning +CausR
Net Effect +NetEff
A
94%
163
B
3%
153
C
0%
142
D
0%
132
E
3%
154
128
137
146
 +Easier 149.233 +SubsectionMedium

Electric stovetop burners would cause fewer fires if their highest temperature were limited to 350ºC (662ºF), which provides more than enough heat for efficient and effective cooking. The lowest temperature at which cooking oil and most common fibers ignite is 387ºC, and electric burners on high go well above 700ºC.

Summarize Argument: Causal Explanation
The author tells us that limiting the temperature of electric stove burners to 350°C would cause fewer fires. This is supported in two ways: first, by telling us that some flammable items (oil and most fabric) need to be heated above this point to catch fire; and second, by stating that electric burners can currently go far above the temperature needed to ignite these items. By establishing that a fire risk currently exists, and that this limit would reduce or eliminate it, the author supports the conclusion that setting the limit would lead to fewer fires.

Identify Conclusion
The conclusion is the author’s claim about lowering fire risk: “Electric stovetop burners would cause fewer fires if their highest temperature were limited to 350°C (662°F).”

A
Electric stovetop burners would cause fewer fires if their highest temperature were limited to 350ºC.
This is where the author states the conclusion. Everything else in the argument is meant to convince us that this claim is true.
B
A maximum temperature of 350ºC provides more than enough heat for efficient and effective cooking.
This is used to explain that stoves would still be useful with the proposed limitation, but doesn’t actually form part of the argument about lowering fire risk. This is not supported by anything else, nor does it provide support to the conclusion.
C
The lowest ignition temperature for cooking oil and most common fibers is 387ºC.
This is a premise that supports the conclusion, because it shows that keeping stoves below this temperature would mean a lower risk that oil and fabric near the stove could catch fire.
D
Electric burners on high go well above 700ºC.
This is a premise that supports the conclusion, because it shows that stoves currently reach a high enough temperature to ignite some materials that might come near the burners.
E
Electric stovetop burners cause fires because they go well above 700ºC when set on high.
The argument implies that this is true, but this claim acts as support for the conclusion that limiting stovetop temperatures would reduce the number of fires. That makes it a sub-conclusion at best, not the main conclusion.

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LSAT PrepTest 148 Explanations

Section 1 - Logical Reasoning

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Section 3 - Logical Reasoning

Section 4 - Logical Reasoning

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